News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-09-01

touched his forehead to the doctor, who
nodded, and said:
'Your sisters over the age, my man:
she ought to have been taken to the in
Urinary, but, as we have taken her in,
We must get her well. How old are
you q he added to the girl.
''Im sixteen and eight months, Sir. -
E'Dear me, she don't lookit, does she,
Sister,"
''No.'' said the Sister, taking down a
card that hung over the bed, and adding
the age to it.
'sIt's the short curly hair that makes
grown girl really
"How came she to be brought here?"
said the doctor, holding Nellie's' wrist,
and putting one foot up on the chair by
the bed, resting his watch on his knee.
He addressed John, but kept his eyes on
Nancy's face, which was paling and
flushing by turns.
81 was carrying her in my arms after
we got her out, Sir, and her father says
to the policeman: Where ought we
take my little girl; she's been nearly
drowned and hurt 2 Little girl? says
the policeman, take her to Gartside-
street, the children's Hospital, out-pat-
and there was a van there, and they told
us to get in, and we was drove here.
"Oh, l see," said the doctor, laying
down the hand he held and putting up
his watch.
$50 they took you for a real little
girl, instead of big little girl. dare
say, Sister, you and G. (mentioning the
other surgeon) were only too delighted
to get good case into your Special and
and forgot to ask the age? Any rise of
temperature p glancing at the chart
over the bed.
"No," said the Sister.
''Take her food well? Let's see;
milk only, isn't it? Nancy nodded.
Eyes, said the Sister again, ''and
she sleeps we'll now."
"Oh well, she's doing very well,
and turning to John the doctor said
those, to him, routine words, but which
lifted load off the poor fellows heart:
eff she lies still and does as she's told
she'll pull through now, but you'd bet
ter stop now talking to her; she's over
tired already. Say good-by to your sis
ter, and come to the out-patient room
and give me your address.
''She's my sweetheart, sir, said John,
slowly looking at Nancys downcast eye
lids.
"Oh, no !" said the doctor, glancing
sharply from one to the other. ''Then
most certainly it's time you went
You're far too interesting a visitor for
our patient" But being man of quick
sympathy, and although he was q doc
tor and imam of SCIENCE" having a
sweetheart of his own, he called the
Sister outside the door as he left to give
the young things moment to them
selves while he impressed upon her that
Nancy must on no account attempt to
move.
''We shall have some mischief with |
that broken rib unless We look out But |
so far she's doing splendidly."
John caught the last words as he. too, |
came out, and how they altered the look |
of things for him
When he had entered that room he |
dreaded to look at his poor-as he
thought-dying playmate. Now He |
Strengthened himself up and smiled back |
at Nancy, who kissed her hand to him
in the doorway. Nancy, who was really
getting we'll and would soon be coming
out all right. And she was no longer
his playmate, but was his little sweet
heart, and they had kissed each other.
This bargee looked different man,
as he stepped briskly down the corridor
behind the doctor, feeling inclined to
join in the whistling of "My love is
young and fair," in which the young
house surgeon was indulging.
When he was going out into the glare
of the sunshine on the gravel, after Civ
ing the particulars about Nancys father
and his profession, John looked straight
at the doctor, standing bareheaded on
the steps and said:
'I'll be very grateful to you, sir, if
you'll cure her." and added by a sud
den inspiration, ''shc's all I've got to
love, and I'll do anything for you if
you'll get her well, sir. I'm going to
have barge of my own next spring,
and I'll take better care of her after
this"
"Oh! SO Miss Nancy is to be Mrs.
John Thrupp, is she r laughed the
doctor.
eyes, she is, Sir" returned John,
laughing too out of the Joy and relief at
his heart
As he ran down the road to catch the
tram that came jingling up, the clatter
of the horses hOofs and the bells on
the harness seemed to repeat the doc
tors capital suggestion, ''Mrs. John
Thrupp!'
The next visiting day, Sunday, John
Thrupp was again going from Man
chester to Pendlebury, on the top of
tram, to see Nancy. He was earlier this
time. The clock of Pendleton Church
struck three as they passed. He re-
membered that, as he passed it again,
going back. There was no one on the
bench on that side of the car, and John
leaned back with both arms over the
seat and his hat tilted back off his fore
head, enjoying the sunshine and easy
swinging progress of the car. 1t was
like the gliding of his barge, but empha-
sized by the regular trot, trot of the !
horses. AS the road grew pretty and !
tree-shaded, after the change of horses
at Pendleton, his thoughts went back to |
the long summer afternoons he and |
| Nancy had SO often spent together lean
ing over the side of her fathers barge as
they slipped slowly through the water
below, which was painted with dabs of
blue and red and yellow reflections of
the gorgeous Windsor Castle that dec
Grated the barge stern and i'll return
threw little curls and flashes of light
over the ideally green lawns and woods
VI bue picture.
He and old Battsen, his cousin, were
partners in this barge, the "Get Away"
and lived on board. Nancy lived on
shore with her widowed sister, in one of
the many little red-brick cottages that
cluster along the various 'cuts" of the
canals all over England They gener-
ally piled backward and forward on the
Grand Junction Canal, near Uxbridge,
among fiat meadows and pollard viii
lows. 1t was quite an exception for her
to have come all the way to Manchester
as she had done this time, and she had |
slept on shore each night, in the rough |
lodgings to be had along the canal with
old Battsen But she spent all her days F.
OH the "Get Away" keeping house, as
she called it, for her father; peeling the
potatoes and washing up the mugs i'll
the gaily- painted tin basins, and keep |
ing the little cabins as neat as man-'O-
warsman. Sometimes she dOnned her |
great check sunbOnnet, and. with a lit |
tie red-and-black plaid shawl pinned
across her bosom, and a clean white
apron-the outdoor full-dress costume
Of tidy barge lass-she steered or
walked along the path behind ''Old Sol
der" the steady, powerful old gray,
who patiently trudgod along IN all
weathers, dragging the capacious mon
key boat with its varying loads. He
didn't need guiding, not even III the
locks into which he drew the barge, and
then stood, slowly munching out of his